Sunday, 24 January 2016

An Epoch MAking Novella By Sukhmani GAndhi

The Shadow of the Dark Soul is really an Epoch making Novella written by a young aspiring author, Sukhmani Gandhi. The way she has woven this tale with her mind boggling thoughts is impeccable.

Cover: The cover of the novella is really intriguing which makes the reader want to read the book.

Title: The title is unique and nobody would have come up with such a title none other than the author which shows her deep thought process and her imaginative quality. It highlights the theme of the novella and it really keeps us connected to the story.

Plot: The plot is simple with a touch of complexity. It talks about the protagonist, Zayesha who happens to be a Journalist by profession and is working on the project of Nirbhaya case. The series of events that takes place in her life during that case. Further, it talks about a community named The Shadow of the Dark Soul, and the way Zayesha gets affected by it is all about the story. The sudden twists and turns in the tale proves the readers wrong with their notions and that's the point where this author wins. So kuddos for such a conceptual plot.

Style: The story is written in first person narrative and is full of personal as well impersonal descriptions. Not only this, the sentence structure follows a variety of sentences ranging from simple to complex to compound sentences. The language is lucid and has brevity in it. To add more, it has beautiful punch lines which keeps you captivating.

Characterization: The author has beautifully played with her characters. They looked like puppets in her hands. Zayesha, the protagonist is a mixture of emotions who is practical, emotional, helpful, social, loving, understanding, caring. On the other hand, Mrs. Chandelier is sweet, simple, motivating and the way these two characters interact is really admirable.

Sukhmani has done justice with both her major and minor characters.

Theme: A work is incomplete without a theme and this small novella of 80 pages has varied range of themes. The main theme is Rape. As we all know about the Nirbhaya Case, the way she was brutally raped and left to die. The research highlights this segment. It makes us really pitiful, angry and sad at the same time.

The other theme is of lesbianism. It is a minor theme though yet it has a great significance. It is the way a girl feels for the other one. It highlights Zayesha's views about her own friend who has recently found her preferences and the way she deals with her.

The major highlighted theme that appears in the middle of the story is about the survival After such mishappening. It talks those people who have been victims to such rapes or acid attacks and the way they lead their lives in a dark place but all they need is care, love but not sympathy. At such a place they are equal and nobody can judge them.

My views: I was really moved by this piece. It is a small piece of 80 pages which has said so much and left me great thoughts. I even had a discussion with the author after reading the novella. She told me how she was deeply affected by this Nirbhaya incident and she thought of this concept ' Shadow of the Dark Soul' and started working on it and published it as a tribute to her. I personally loved the dedication. Then the unique that leaves with questions and at the same time gives peace to your mind. The end is really motivating. I won't reveal this end and the message. I found few errors but this doesn't affect the powerful thought she has put up. I would strongly recommend to those readers who can take up such sensitive issues. Trust me, you will really get to know something different.

Availability: You can buy this from amazon, kindle and even download an e- book.

Sukhmani identifies herself as a woman of substance and change . She is pursuing her graduation in philosophy from Lady Shri Ram College for Women and has recently published her debut novel ‘The Shadow of the Dark Soul’ in 2015 which is a sincere dedication to Jyoti Singh Pandey( Nirbhaya). She was previously published in ‘We are Not Alone’, an anthology published in association with Mood Indigo in 2014.Her views on the word 'Freedom' and "Through the eyes of a writer"were a part of Unbound and Resugram which are e-magazines in 2015. She also secured the third position in a comepition organized by Rising Literia that reflected her views on the topic 'Freedom Mask' and were published in e-Fiction India in 2015. Her article was titled at "Pinjara" was a part of Bunkpages: notebooks that inspire in their january edition. She is currently doing internship as a columnist at bunkpages and is working as an assistant editor at e-Fiction India. Her other trysts with the written word can be seen on her blog ‘www.sukhmanigandhi.wordpress.com’

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About Me

Surbhi Sareen is a 21 year old, young, chirpy girl who hails from Jalandhar, Punjab.She is a typical Punjabi by nature with big dreams in her eyes. She is a writer by choice and a book reviewer by profession. She has reviewed many books ranging from latest to classics. She is the contributing author of 'Case Files of The Dead','Love-A Sweet POison' and the editor cum author of 'Turning Point of Life.' She also got her book review published in a literary magazine named 'AAGMAN'. Sge is currently waiting for her upcoming anthology as a contributing author 'Book of Dreams'.